Friday, March 28, 2014

Friday Favorite Five: Makeup Edition

I rarely wear makeup, and when I do, I always favor light, barely
there, no-makeup look. With my acidic, oily skin, I really don't have
much choice but to wear light makeup; otherwise, I'd look like a muddy
oil slick in a couple of hours. Honestly, I can even
trim this list to three, but in the interest of keeping up with the
title, I'll list all five, the two of which I only do when going
somewhere fancy.1. YSL Teint de Perle Fine, by YSL. "Formulated with the purest and brightest pearl in the world, the
Japanese Akoya Pearl. With ultra-fine and lightweight texture. Creates
a perfect, pearlescent complexion with a naturally unified finish."

True to its description, it indeed leaves my skin with a slightly pearlescent complexion. Like I said, my skin is oily, and while I can keep it in check using Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder (a T. LeClerc dupe), just using Banana Powder leaves my face looking matte and "flat" -- parang nadapa ako sa factory ng espasol. I top it off with Teint de Perle to give it a very slight sheen and dimension. Goodbye, espasol face!!! However, on most days, I just use Teint de Perle without Banana Powder for a more sheer and lightweight coverage.

YSL Teint de Perle

Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder

2. Benetint Lip and Cheek Tint, by Benefit: "Our original rose-tinted stain is kiss-proof, see-through color for lips & cheeks that lasts for hours. Naturally sheer and sexy on all complexions...it’s innocent yet provocative. Originally created for an exotic dancer in the 1970s, benetint has soared to cult fave status. It's loved by celebs, makeup artists and gals around the world. It's the sexiest flush you can get from a bottle!"

With my perpetual eyebags, I constantly look tired, even with 10 hours of sleep, so I usually use blush, instantly perking up my face. However, let me mention again that my skin is oily, and cream and powder blushes only last for a couple of hours before they turn to oily mud. So when someone introduced me to Body Shop's lip and cheek tint, I was sold, sold, sold! The first Body Shop lip and cheek tint was not the gel type that we have today -- it was reddish purple liquid in a little roller ball bottle. I loved it very much because it was so easy to use; however, they relaunched it in the gel form, which I've never quite liked. Anyway, kuripot that I am, I tried other dupes but was never satisfied, well, until I tried Benefit's Benetint. The color is buildable and you can go from the sheerest, faintest blush to I-just-jogged-a-mile-under-the-sun flush. I also like the light rose scent, though I keep my mouth shut tight when I use it on my lips. It isn't exactly cheap at >1.7K, but goodness, I have this bottle for a couple of years already and I have yet to finish it. Though, yeah, I have to concede that I only use it once a day and only the sheerest of flush.

Benetint

3. Rouge in Love 163B (Rose St Honore), by Lancome: "Love your lips! Finally, the long
wear lipcolor you'll love to wear. This collection of radiant, high
potency colors, with up to 6 hours of wear, is surprisingly
featherlight, offering delightful comfort."

My first Rouge in Love was a present from Derdo (thanks!!!), and while I was initially apprehensive about the color (red!), I gathered enough courage to try it. Seriously. Well, I'm into peach and nude colors, and it's quite a leap of faith for me to use red. Well, I'm so glad I did because the color is perfect! It has very, very tiny (almost microscopic really) glitters that lends a slight sheen and dimension to the lips. Plus, the color is sheer and buildable, and faithful to the description, it is indeed featherlight. I think this is the perfect "gateway" red lipstick, in case you want to use more bold colors but are afraid to.

Rouge in Love

4. Color My Brows, by Etude House: "Shades and moistens brows for a refined natural look."Nobela yung product description, right? :) Well, that just about describes this product. I have long neglected my brows, and it always
amazes me how different I look (in a better way) when I groom them.
Sabi nga ni Tsokoholik, "gandang di inakala." This is quite easy to use
and has a perfect consistency -- not too runny or too creamy. There are a
number of colors to choose from, and I am using Rich Brown (left). It is perfect for my skin and hair color, as it is not too dark as to wash out my face, just making it a little more alive, alert, enthusiastic. :)

I have very short and sparse lashes, and my bottom lashes are almost nonexistent, so using mascara is a tad difficult for me. This was a gift from my cousin (happy birthday tomorrow, H!), and I was so delighted when I saw that the brush is very thin and can catch all of my short lashes. I first curl them a bit, then apply this, and the result is simply amazing! It instantly widens my eyes, again making me look awake. On fancy occasions, I curl the lashes first, then sweep some Estee Lauder primer, then two coats of the mascara for a more dramatic look.

Extended Play Mascara

Note: In my bid to post regularly, I'm going, or at least try, to post every
Friday five of my favorite things. They might be current or past
possessions, though others might not be necessarily mine -- could be a
wish for my fairy godmother (where are you, by the way?), could be
something I saw and found interesting, but it will always be driven by
beauty and functionality, hopefully both, but that's a tall order.